Stacy Kauk, P.Eng.’s Post

Today, Isometric released a protocol for durable carbon removal through Electrolytic Seawater Mineralization (ESM) into public consultation. This is our fourth protocol in a month. One of the main reasons Isometric is able to produce high quality protocols so quickly is our modular approach, which breaks down protocols into core components for elements like feedstock sourcing and characterization, carbon dioxide capture and conversion, carbon dioxide storage, and LCA emissions accounting. What’s exciting about this release is that carbon removal through ESM occurs within a closed system. This means the removal can be measured directly within the facility. This enables robust MRV that buyers can have confidence in. The protocol draws on the latest science as well as feedback from Equatic.tech, who have pioneered methods in this space. Comments from buyers, suppliers and scientists are welcome during this consultation period.

Today, Isometric released the Subsurface Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage for public consultation. This is our second protocol in as many weeks with more to come soon. Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) is a promising pathway for advancing carbon removal and this protocol expands the possibilities of this pathway when it comes to storage. The protocol draws on the latest science as well as feedback from Graphyte , who has helped pioneer methods in this space. Comments from buyers, suppliers, and scientists are welcome until August 9, 2024.

I’m beyond excited to share that I’ll be starting my next chapter as Head of Science for Isometric. 🚀 I truly believe that if the CDR market is going to reach gigatonne scale we need to restore trust in carbon markets. I’ve joined Isometric to build that trust through sound science and operational excellence. We need more buyers to join the early adopters, and in order to achieve this we must ensure that the credits delivered by these early purchases can be relied on. I’ve said this a lot: a tonne must be a tonne, and now I’ll be working alongside Dr. Jennifer Wilcox to make this a reality.

Moving on from Shopify Earlier this month I logged off for the last time on my Shopify laptop. It was a weird moment where I paused to reflect on the last 4 years and how much has happened. When I joined at the beginning of 2020, I had $5M to spend on carbon removal and so much to learn. Since then the program has signed purchase agreements totalling more than $54M, with 39 carbon removal companies, across all verticals. Building this was an opportunity of a lifetime and I am forever grateful that Shopify took a chance on me. The program is now in the very capable hands of Mitchel Selby, who has been there since almost day 1. This solid foundation means that I can confidently move on to build other parts of the carbon removal ecosystem. For now I’ll be taking a bit of time for myself in preparation for diving back into building. The CDR ecosystem needs more buyers, more suppliers, more funding and more development to ensure that we scale safely and responsibly. Can’t wait to share what’s next.

It’s been almost five years since we launched the Shopify Sustainability Fund, a commitment to spend at least $5M annually on emerging technologies fighting climate change. To date, we’ve signed contracts totaling $55.7M across 39 carbon removal suppliers to deliver 84.4k tonnes of durable carbon removal. When we first started this journey, there wasn’t enough carbon removal to buy to fulfill our commitment – but we continue to see signs of an emerging market. We’ve made progress, but there’s still a lot more to do to secure a fully decarbonized and sustainable future. Our thesis is that by creating demand for carbon removal as a buyer of credits, we can help suppliers scale, which in turn will decrease their costs and reduce the price of carbon removal credits over time. The full report details our progress made in 2023 on Sustainability Fund initiatives, and outlines the work yet to be done. https://lnkd.in/eSb3xJHh

At Shopify, protecting the planet is core to our mission. It’s also something we know consumers want: 43% of shoppers say they’re more likely to purchase from a sustainable brand. It’s why we’re dedicated to supporting groundbreaking carbon removal technologies, and facilitating carbon-neutral shipping for our merchants through the Planet app. Since 2022, Shopify businesses using the Planet app have raised $1M for carbon removal. This Earth Month, we’re doubling merchant impact by matching all funds raised now through the end of April. Until we decarbonize the transportation sector, shipping emissions are going to continue. By funding carbon removal we're helping to develop technologies that can pull historical emissions out of our atmosphere. https://lnkd.in/dRFbmAQu 

As we kick off 2024, take a read to see what we learned last year and where we hope to go in the months to come. As each day passes, carbon removal becomes more important and we can’t afford to sit on the sidelines.

The end of the year is a great time to reflect, but also to look ahead. In that spirit, I’m incredibly proud of the work my team and Shopify has been doing in 2023 as we work to advance and expand the market for carbon removal technologies. We just published a recap sharing our progress and aspirations for: - Growing the market for carbon removal - Holding ourselves & others accountable  - Making carbon removal more accessible There is a surge of new ideas and increased investments from climate entrepreneurs, this is a truly exciting time. The amount of permanent carbon removal achieved to date is minuscule, representing a negligible amount of our annual emissions. But that is not the point! Carbon removal is a technology for our future, to reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and pull us back from the almost certain temperature overshoot. Carbon removal is meant to go beyond emissions reductions and decarbonization. Every day that we delay the phase out of fossil fuels only means we’ll need more carbon removal. The investments we make now are intended to enable proof of concept, research and innovation so that carbon removal becomes cost-effective and available at scale when we’ll need it the most. It is crucial that we take action now to get us to where we need to be in the coming decades for the sake of our planet, future generations, and ourselves. Read it all here: https://lnkd.in/gKw7GDpJ